Let $a_n$ be the number obtained by writing the integers 1 to $n$ from left to right. Therefore, $a_4 = 1234$ and \[a_{12} = 123456789101112.\]For $1 \le k \le 100$, how many $a_k$ are divisible by 9?
Let $f(n)$ be the sum of the digits of $n$. It turns out that $n-f(n)$ is always divisible by 9. As a proof, write $n = a_k10^k + a_{k-1}10^{k-1}+ \cdots + a_{1}10^1 + a_0$. Therefore, $n - f(n) = a_k(10^k - 1) + a_{k-1}(10^{k-1} - 1) + \cdots + a_2(10^2-1) + a_1(10-1)$. Note that, in general, $10^n - 1$ is divisible by 9 because $10^n-1$ is actually a string of $n$ 9's. Therefore, we can factor a 9 out of the right-hand side, so $n-f(n)$ is always divisible by 9. Note furthermore that $n-f(n)$ is always nonnegative, and that $f(n)$ and $n$ share the same remainder when divided by 9 (these are corollaries, the first coming from observation, the second being a direct result of the proof).

Now, consider $f(a_n)$, which is divisible by 9 if and only if $a_n$ is. We have $f(a_n) = f(1) + f(2) + \cdots + f(n-1) + f(n)$. Since $f(k)$ and $k$ have the same remainder when divided by 9, so we can substitute $k$ for $f(k)$ in each term without changing the remainder when divided by 9. Therefore, $f(a_k) \equiv \frac{k(k+1)}{2} \pmod 9$, which implies that we need either $k$ or $k+1$ to be divisible by 9. This happens either when $k$ is a multiple of 9 or when $k$ is one less than a multiple of 9. There are 11 multiples of 9 less than or equal to 100, and since 100 is not a multiple of 9, there are also 11 numbers which are one less than a multiple of 9 between 1 and 100. Therefore, there are $11 + 11 = \boxed{22}$ values of $a_k$ that are divisible by 9 for $1 \le k \le 100$.